In the interview, Naim also shared his thoughts on several issues, including the planned US port in Gaza, the unity of the Resistance, and more.
Senior Hamas politburo official Basem Naim said in an interview with Russia Today (RT) on Thursday that Russia is crucial for protecting Palestinians and the Palestinian Resistance.
“It is one of the permanent states on the Security Council, … and, therefore, they can help in a lot of cases politically and diplomatically,” Naim said.
“They (the Russians – PC) are very important in protecting the Palestinians generally, and Resistance in particular, when it comes to, to their seat on the Security Council and having the veto right in front of the American plans to undermine the Palestinians and their resistance.”
Naim also highlighted the “good relations” that Russia has with all factions. “This is also very helpful in helping achieve Palestinian unity,” he said.
Noting that Russia is already present in the Syria and in the region, Naim said that “Russia can also help Palestinians at the military level if it is feasible”.
“I don’t know how much they can do, but I mean it is theoretically possible,” he explained.
In the interview, Naim also shared his thoughts on several issues, including the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the planned US port in Gaza, the unity of the Resistance, and more.
Unity of the Resistance
Naim explained that the war in Gaza is being fought by a joint command of Palestinian Resistance groups, not only the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas.
Naim also warned that US plans for a port in the besieged enclave could be used to commit further war crimes against the Palestinian people.
He told RT that Resistance groups inside Gaza collaborated under a unified command called the ‘Joint Room’ which was established a few years ago, before “the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ battle in May of 2021.”
“It allowed for organizing and to cooperate in the field, during the Israeli aggressions, while coordinating military operations with the different factions,” the top Hamas official said.
It also “helped create a new nucleus for Palestinian political unity,” he added.
Naim also highlighted the importance of coordinating military activities in Gaza in the current war.
“We have in some cases seen joint operations together from the Qassam Brigades with Saraya al-Quds (Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed wing), with the Mujahideen Brigades, and with many other groups.”
Gaza Port
On the issue of the port, Naim believed that it would require a stable ceasefire to work.
“We could see it as a positive step in the right direction. But, at the same time, why are they going this very long and complicated way?” he asked.
He explained that the “shortest and easiest way is to oblige Israel to open all the ground crossings and to allow all the requirements of Gazans to come in and to allow all international bodies, including UNRWA, to work freely on the ground.”
“Second, which is more important, is to stop the aggression. How can aid be distributed inside the Gaza Strip while the Israelis continue firing?”
The Hamas official further questioned the establishment of the port, saying “I think this could be used for an American presence here. For example, this could be part of a long-term plan for control, by the Americans and the Israelis, of the seashore and of the landline from the west to the east.”
Rejoining PLO
On the issue of speculation surrounding the movement’s desire to be reintegrated into the PLO, Naim said the organization “has to be reformed before doing this because Hamas has a political vision, which was, decades ago, the same vision of the PLO.”
“But unfortunately, the political vision of the PLO has been undermined repeatedly, by signing the Oslo agreement, by changing the PLO charter in 1996, and therefore, yes, we are looking to be members of the PLO, but changes have to be made.”
Asked about the potential implementation of joint plans with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), such as a PA administrative role in a post-war Gaza, Naim said that the Hamas has signed “a lot of documents and agreements over the last 17 years”.
“All of these documents are satisfactory enough to lead to unity if the parties are serious, to implement agreements based upon national interest and this means excluding any external interventions,” he said.
Naim also stated that Israel’s “fascist government will not accept any Palestinian State.”
‘Final Solution Plan’
Tel Aviv, the Hamas official said, is now seeking a “final solution plan… which means they seek to eliminate or to undermine Palestinian existence altogether, whether at the political level, at the human existence level, at the geographical level, at the regional religious level.”
He warned that Israel seeks “total control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and the building of the (Jewish) temple there, along with the total Judaization of Jerusalem, the annexation of the West Bank, the forceful displacement or expelling of Palestinians, especially from the West Bank, the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the normalization with the Arab countries without solving the Palestinian conflict.”
Asked about the potential benefits of freeing leaders from other Palestinian political parties during any prisoner exchange agreement, Naim said, “We are looking for the release of all the Palestinian prisoners, regardless of their age, sex or political affiliation.”
He added that “when it comes to specific names, we believe that the release of some leaders, not only from Hamas but also from other parties, will have a great impact on the internal Palestinian political dynamics.”
The Birth of a New Resistance Alliance
Naim told RT that various groups are providing growing support for Hamas in the current war, including Yemen’s Ansarallah movement, Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Iran.
“I think during this battle, it was clearer than during Saif al-Quds (the title Hamas gives to the May 2021 Israel’s war on Gaza) and Saif al-Quds made it clearer than before.”
“Therefore, yes, we are witnessing the birth, or the creation of a full-blown picture of the Resistance alliance, day after day. But the strategy was discussed years ago,” Naim said.
(PC, RT)